Volunteer

We could never achieve what we do each year without the dedication and commitment of our wonderful team of volunteers.

Volunteer Befriender (Face to Face): Volunteering as a Befriender is about providing companionship to individuals in their own home to encourage engagement and support wellbeing and to combat isolation and loneliness. We are looking for volunteers who are reliable, patient, and sensitive and willing to visit older people in their homes.

Telephone Befriender: Our Telephone Keeping in Touch Service reaches some of the most isolated older people in Bury. We're looking for people who have excellent listening skills and enjoy a good phone chat. You'll need to be able to show your telephone clients respect, patience, empathy and understanding.

Volunteer Driver: We are looking for volunteers, who using their own vehicle, will help older people with no other forms of transportation to appointments, events and meetings.

Charity Shop Volunteer: As a volunteer, you'll serve customers, sort donated stock, and make displays. But the role is so much more than that. Our shops are a local hub of activity. Older people visit to browse and chat when they have no one else to talk to at home. And while all this is happening, you'll be helping Age UK Bury raise vital funds to make Bury a better place to grow older.

Chatterbox Café Volunteer: We are looking for friendly, reliable, and enthusiastic people to join our team at the Chatterbox Café within the Jubilee Centre. The volunteer role is varied and will include duties such as welcoming and chatting to customers, serving customers, taking orders, and general cleaning of café areas and equipment.

Handy Person Volunteer: Are you a DIY enthusiast with a few hours to spare each week? We are looking for volunteers with DIY skills to support our Handyperson Service. Typical jobs will include fitting key safes, grab rails and changing light bulbs

Volunteer Bingo Caller: Do you know your “legs 11” from your “Prime Minister’s Den”? Then you can help make our Wednesday afternoon Bingo session at the Jubilee Centre a fun packed afternoon.

Volunteer Quiz Master: Enjoy a fun afternoon hosting our Wednesday afternoon quiz at the Jubilee Centre. Quiz questions can be provided, alternatively you can get creative and write your own quiz.

Volunteer Fundraiser: Help Age UK Bury reach its fundraising goals by helping to organise and host fundraising events and stalls. You can get involved in everything from Discos and Music events to Fun Days and Book Sales.

When appropriate, we need to request Criminal Record checks before a person is able to volunteer.

For more details about any of these opportunities, please call us on 0161 763 9030.

Why volunteer?

Volunteering is a great way to meet new people, learn new skills, and support the work we do in the community.

Who can volunteer?

Almost anyone can be a volunteer. We have a wide range of roles which suit different people and different skills.

How much time do I need to give?

It depends on the volunteer role you are interested in. Some people give an hour a week, other people do more.

Can voluntering improve my health and wellbeing?

Volunteering not only enriches the lives of others, it can also improve your physical and mental wellbeing.

Researchers pooled a large amount of data from 40 scientific papers into the long-term effects of charity work, revealing that people who volunteered had their risk of dying early reduced by as much as 22%. The study also showed that people who volunteer benefit from various improvements in mental health. Those who gave up their time to help others were less likely to suffer from depression, plus they had higher levels of life satisfaction and wellbeing.